Thursday, October 22, 2015

Wedding in Taichung

It has been pretty hectic here this month, as you can see... on Saturday morning Michael and I headed to Taichung, Taiwan, to meet up with my parents and attend my cousin's wedding on Sunday. For this special occasion my grandmother flew out from New York! A non-stop 16 hour flight is no easy feat for an 88 year old. Extra big kudos go to her for that. It is really sweet how excited she is for not one but two weddings this year! You can tell she has been waiting for this for a while.

This was also a big trip because it was the first time that Michael was meeting my relatives on my mom's side.

The weekend was pretty action packed, starting with our arrival in Taichung around 2:30 pm on Saturday and being whisked straight to lunch. After lunch, we went to check out my cousin's new apartment.

There are apparently all kinds of superstitions and rules about the new bridal suite, including who besides the new couple is allowed to enter (for example, no aunts, and, for this particular couple (considering their respective birth years), no one born in the year of the dragon, the monkey, or the snake). And actually, going in the new suite is a pretty big thing -- it is a custom for everyone to tour the room and inspect the closets and the bed. I'm sure this sounds super invasive from a Western perspective, but it's a pretty common rite in Asia. As my mom is his aunt and born in the year of the dragon, she was doubly barred from entering the master bedroom!

After checking out the new digs, which were really pretty and very nicely designed by my other cousin (an interior decorator/designer and the groom's older brother), my parents and Michael and I went to check in at our hotel, Maison de Chine.

Here, the lobby and reception area. It was actually fine, albeit a little dated. My parents stayed on the 15th floor, and Michael and I stayed on the 8th.

I was surprised to discover that I was really quite tired. I had not slept well at all the night before, having been given an assignment on Friday afternoon that caused me a bit of stress. Determined to enjoy the weekend, though, I took a hot shower and unpacked my clothes and read up on the news while Michael took a nap.

After we relaxed for a while, we went to my uncle's house. Immediately upon entering, my aunt gave us juicy, delicious, tender pomelos that she had been saving for us. Apparently it was the end of the season and these were the very last ones. My mom, dad and I sat down in a row and began to devour the fruit. As the three of us sat there eating the fruit and giggling like little kids (it is that delicious), Michael sat and stared at us in bemusement. Apparently the love of fruit runs in my family.

(Side note - this is what I love about Taiwan. There are still "seasons" for fruit and vegetables and fish. When something is in season, it is delicious and plentiful and the bounty knows no bounds. But the season is short lived and once it is over for that thing, you will not be able to find it anywhere until the next season, no matter how much you crave it or want it. It's a simple concept but, in today's world of apples shipped from Chile and salmon from Alaska and bananas from the Dominican Republic, a foreign one. When I was little and could only get certain fruits during the time I visited, I was very upset. But now I love that Taiwan is still like this, and believe this is a wonderful way to really enjoy the widest variety of the most delicious things.)

After we sat around for a bit, we went to the night market within walking distance of my uncle's house. It was really fun. See next post!